YOUNG people in the Tonbridge and Malling area are being driven out by soaring house prices, councillors fear.

Members of the borough council's policy and overview committee are urging its cabinet to lobby the Government for more affordable housing in the area.

Committee member Cllr Mark Worrall (Con), said: "Unless you're fortunate to have a high salary, if you're born and brought up here you've really got a hard task indeed to get into the housing market."

He said: "Many local people want to get married and have a family but stay within striking distance of where they were born, so they can look after their extended family when their parents grow old.

"We're running into a crisis here. There are fewer and fewer opportunities for those local people. There is insufficient social housing through the housing associations."

Cllr Worrall stressed: "Mortgages are way beyond low incomes. It's got an awful lot worse in recent times, in places like West Malling, Offham and Kings Hill. Quite modest properties are going for large sums of money."

Cllr Worrall said the Government should encourage housing associations to promote do-it-yourself shared ownership, whereby people buy a percentage of a house and pay rent on the rest until they can afford to buy more.

He said: "It was very successful in our area when it was introduced about 10 years ago. It was a way for people to get into the housing market and watch their equity grow."

The issue is expected to be discussed fully by the council's cabinet in October.